"I'm trying to figure out what the friends and family restrictions are. "

There aren't any. It's just viral marketing to encourage the idea of exclusivity instead of just advertising a sale with those same discounts. The idea being that you're more likely to tell others about the sale if you think it's exclusive than if they just published it themselves (lower advertising cost).

Except some have been associated with an invite that you needed to take with you before - and the discount rates are a little higher than they usually do at JB - which left me wondering whether there was some criteria on this one.

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Its obvious isn't it..... ! Through Buckscoop Australian consumers can freely share deals, vouchers or promo codes, bargains and freebies they think are worth mentioning. At Buckscoop you're participating in helping others to share in the good deals that you find and of course the share in those others find as well.